Mae Young Classic Report (Episode Two): Martinez vs. Xia Li, Evers vs. Marti Belle, Ripley vs. Salinas, Logan vs. Yim

WWE MAE YOUNG CLASSIC – EPISODE TWO
TAPED JULY 13-14 IN WINTER PARK, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY ZACK HEYDORN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Jim Ross and Lita

INTRO: There is a nice promo piece that wraps up episode one with minimal details and then another immediately following that runs down the matches we’re about to see in episode two. After, it’s off to the races. JR and Lita pick up on commentary and the matches begin.

(1) MERCEDES MARTINEZ vs. XIA LI

Mercedes Martinez heads out to the ring first to a very positive reaction from the crowd. It’s clear that some of the audience know who she is and she looks every bit like a pro wrestler. Xia Li is out next for what Lita explains is her very first match. That is a major contrast and difference between the two competitors as Martinez is a seasoned veteran in the business. JR casually mentions that Mercedes Martinez is a favorite to win the entire tournament. Martinez refuses to shake hands at the start of the match and then immediately goes on offense after the bell rings. Mercedes is showing some arrogant heel tendencies but to this point the match doesn’t appear to be built utilizing that psychology. Martinez then works a series of headlocks before Li counters them with a series of kicks to the abdomen. Li then goes for the first pin of the match and Martinez kicks out at one and a half. Li keeps up with the kicks which Martinez finally counters into a modified spinebuster for a two count near fall. Martinez grabs a lifeless Li and locks in her in the Welcome to the he Jungle modified dragon sleeper submission. Li feverishly taps out giving the win to Martinez.

WINNER: Martinez via submission at 3:06.

Heydorn’s Analysis: While I enjoyed watching Mercedes Martinez do her thing in the ring, I thought overall that this match was pretty bland. Most of that falls on Li as she came across very green and unprepared for the spotlight that she was in. In fact, Li didn’t have much of a presence at all outside of her kicks and entrance which was intriguing due to a white fan in her hand. On the flip side, Martinez belonged in that ring. She looked the part and all could tell she appreciated where she was. It was shockingly easy to tell that Martinez had years of experience and Li was a rookie in almost every aspect of the performance. Mercedes moves on to the next round to take on Princesa Sugehit in what should be a very entertaining bout.

(2) RACHEL EVERS vs. MARTI BELLE

Rachel Evers, the daughter of Authors of Pain manager Paul Ellering, heads to the ring first. She appears very strong and energetic which the crowd is responding positively to. Belle is next and while the reaction for her isn’t as great, she plays it off and uses it to get some heat on her before the match begins. After the two shake hands, Belle gathers even more heel heat from the crowd by wiping her hand on her tights after what is supposed to be a show of sportsmanship. Seemingly out of nowhere, dueling chants for both competitors start as they collar elbow tie up. Some back and forth stand up wrestling occurs before Evers crushes Belle with a brogue kick to the chest. Belle topples backward and heads to the turnbuckle where Evers pulls out a very unique twisting leg drop from the second rope. Belle continues her heel ways by calling for a timeout after the move which garners more heat from the audience. The crowd does not chant her name again after this. After calling for the timeout, Belle suckers Evers in and begins her offensive assault by beating down Evers into each turnbuckle. Belle’s facial expressions are great here and she continues to showcase her heel persona in the match. Belle goes for one too many smashes to the face on the turnbuckle as Evers no sells the move like Hulk Hogan and stares directly in the eyes of Belle. It was very surprising to see her pull this off in such a short match but illustrates just how over she was with the crowd. From there its more back and forth action with Evers hitting a fisherman’s buster for a two count and Belle tripping Evers to keep the upper hand in the match. Belle then lands what Lita says is her finisher on Evers. Evers kicks out of that move but still is seemingly dazed. Out of nowhere, Evers rolls Belle up with an inside cradle small package for the victory.

WINNER: Evers at 6:11.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I loved Rachel Evers in this match. She had a great charm to her that connected with the audience and she played the role of the confident babyface very well. It was essential for Belle to play the heel in the match given how over Evers was as the babyface. That said, it seemed as if Belle was forcing her heel actions. It didn’t seem like those heel tendencies came naturally to her. The match was good as well and I particularly enjoyed the fact that they did include good guy/bad guy psychology throughout it. Given how great Evers was, it was a tad surprising to see the match end with an unexpected pin. That said, it’s the only match thus far to use that finish so I’m letting it slide. Evers goes one on one with Abbey Laith in round two.

VIDEO SEGMENT: WWE airs a video of Triple H discussing the tournament in front of all of the competitors at the WWE Performance Center. He says there was a glass ceiling for women in pro wrestling and now is the time for them to shatter it. Triple H wishes them luck and tells them to kill it.

(3) RHEA RIPLEY vs. MIRANDO SALINAS

Rhea Ripley is out first to some really great entrance music. The alternative, emo style song fits her early twenties persona nicely. The crowd loves as she head bangs while sitting on the middle rope. Miranda Salinas heads to the ring a little slower and reminds me of an early heel Alexa Bliss. Salinas is only 5 feet tall. Both shake hands and they tie up to start the match. Ripley gets the leg up with some early headlocks. Miranda then counters with her own headlock after pulling Ripley’s hair. Salinas bounces Ripley off the ropes and gets popped with a Randy Orton like dropkick from Ripley. Ripley is then on the offensive with some open handed slaps to Salinas’s chest and arms. Ripley continues with some nice kicks and a running double leg kick into Miranda who was sitting in the turnbuckle. Salinas gets limited offense in after the double leg kick culminating with a pin attempt. Ripley blocks that pin attempt and crushes Salinas with a full nelson slam for the 1, 2, 3.

WINNER: Ripley at 3:51.

Heydorn’s Analysis: So, I thought I liked Rachel Evers, but Rhea Ripley is even better. She is polished and made this match very entertaining to watch. Rhea is crisp and does the little things that go a long way to making the match enjoyable. Salinas was good, just not in Ripley’s league. The match itself had quite a bit of back and forth action that all hinged and depended on Ripley. It was her offense and emotion that drove the match. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to see Ripley playing a true character in the ring during this match, though, such is life in a tournament like this. That said, she is such a natural in there that, when she finds that true persona, her charisma will take over and make that persona come to life.

(4) SARAH LOGAN vs. MIA YIM

Sarah Logan heads to the ring first to a nice pop from the crowd. Instantly as a viewer you can feel how likeable Logan’s character is. Yim is out next and the reaction to her is positive as well. It’s clear that both are babyfaces in the match as they willingly shake hands and smile out of respect for one another as the bell rings. Yim goes on the offensive first with controllable headlocks until she tosses Logan into the ropes. Logan then slams into Yim with a stiff shoulder tackle. The two then play back and forth at a very fast pace with each competitor selling excellently for the other’s offensive moves. Logan is the first to get the upper hand and sets up a nice ground and pound on Yim after delivering head-butts to Yim’s face. The crowd is very into that move exchange and begins chanting for Logan. Then the Yim supporters chime in as well which starts a dueling chant for both stars. Yim stops the ground and pound with a stiff kick to Logan’s legs and takes control. Yim works the leg and lower back with her kicks and eventually locks in the tarantula on Hogan whilst in the corner. Yim is truly dominating and the crowd is eating out of the palm of her hand. Sarah Logan is selling this beat down perfectly. She looks down, but she can convey with her eyes that she’s not out. Yim locks in a choke and Logan uses her scrappiness to quickly escape. As she does, she slaps Yim in the face and then gets a slap right back from Yim. They continue slapping each other back and forth to the audience’s delight with Logan finally getting the upper hand again. Logan then goes on the offensive with a very innovative hip toss/knee to the face combination. Logan covers and gets the two count near fall. From here the offense and action is back and forth. Logan takes and kicks out of two German suplexes while Yim kicks out of Logan’s offense as well. The action is intense and the crowd loves it. Amidst the rapid fire action, Yim connects with her patented Eat The Feet maneuver which knocks Logan out cold and allows Yim to pick up the victory.

WINNER: Mia Yim at 7:17.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Match of the episode and the match of the tournament thus far. You could tell both women in the ring were veterans because they were so fluid with their timing and quick with their moves. The match was crisp and given how over both competitors were, the babyface vs. babyface psychology worked well. This was the first match where you sensed there was some character involvement within the match. Logan really got to showcase her scrappiness while selling and Yim capitalized on her intensity with the win and her dominating offensive style. These characters made the match infinitely better. Awesome match and both stars clearly have a place in the company once this tournament is over. Yim will challenge UFC star Shayna Baszler in round two.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall, episode two of the Mae Young Classic lived up the expectations set by episode one. The match quality was very good and the stories told in the ring made sense. That said, I felt this episode belonged more to the star wrestlers than the matches themselves. Rachel Evers, Rhea Ripley, Sarah Logan, and Mia Yim really broke away from the pack in terms of setting the bar for star power in this tournament. These women shined when it was their turn to shine and hit home runs with their performances. The commentary on episode two was still subpar and seeing these women breakout made me crave seeing them with their flushed out characters. That will come, but in the meantime I’m certainly looking forward to watching them in the next round.

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS REPORT: Mae Young Classic Report (Episode One): Ronda Rousey at ringside for Shayna Baszler, full results of first four tournament matches